SoulMan
Aleman Brewing Company

Served from the can in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Pours a pretty deep midnight hickory topped by a finger of dirty khaki foam. The nose comprises pine needles, orange pith, light roast, and a bit of what may or may not be coffee. I had to struggle to get those notes, FYI. The taste brings in some toffee, light caramel (with more coming in the finish), pine sap, grass, and toast. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Gotta say, this one didn't do it for me, coming off much hoppier than I expected from the description on the tin.

 

 

Solid brown ale. Hot Cocoa w/marshmallow variant from Bottles and Cans Chicago advent calendar.

Muddy ruby hue with sharp but not overbearing carbonation. Nice watts of caramel coming off.

Taste overall falls flat with whatever adjuncts they were using, you get hints of the labeled flavors but nothing to powerful that I would bother labeling the beer as caramel/chocolate etc.

Solid example of a brown ale with slight experimental flavors, but no gold medal today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass, no can dating. Pours hazy deep ruby red/brown color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and nuttiness; with lighter notes of salt, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, dark fruit, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts, caramel, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and nuttiness; with lighter notes of salt, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, dark fruit, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, grassy, peppery hop; and lightly roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light chocolate/cocoa/coffee, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, caramel, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and minimal astringent hop flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Light-medium carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly sticky, and lightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.2%. Overall this is a very nice American brown ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, caramel, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Not as sweet as expected initially. Great well rounded malt complexity with balanced salted caramel candy flavors; and nice earthy hop balance against sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

 

Tasted in a 12 oz snifter from draught at Firkin on July 5, 2017. A well made and very tasty brown ale. Not as sweet as the salted caramel would lead you to believe. Recommended.